Geograph - photograph every grid square

The area now covered by trees is the site of two disused air shafts, presumably connected with the former nearby Backworth Colliery. It was usual for collieries to have both a 'downcast' shaft for fresh air to be brought into the mine, and an 'upcast' shaft for stale air to be taken out. The footpath in the photograph is not shown on the current Ordnance Survey 1:25K map of the area as a public footpath but it is a well-walked connecting route between two public footpaths. For a selection of detailed free to download walking routes in the area visit Link